I am only 4 days late on the news that Shannon is now 16 months old. I remembered on Wednesday; I thought about how much she has grown up and how remarkable it is that she is the same baby we brought home 16 months ago. It has just taken some time to get an update posted because we've been working on getting healthy this week...I think we are finally on the way to being better!
Anyway, this month has mostly been about perfecting most of the things she's already learned. I'm well aware that she is also learning new things, but some of them are so subtle or every day that it is hard to note what they are. Here are some that stand out...
1. Shannon has perfected bedtime. She is ready for bed at 8:00 and asleep without much of a peep within a short amount of time. It makes me slightly nervous to think about transitioning into her big girl room because things are working so well right now. We'll have to take it slowly, I guess.
2. Shannon knows exactly where socks and shoes belong...on your feet or in her shoe box. She will, often, pick out matching shoes and bring them to you wanting them on. Like her mother, she has shoes on most of the time.
3. Shannon no longer cries at Y-Care or when she has a babysitter. Here recently she has had a lot of nights with a sitter and I must say it is nice when she is happily playing when it is time to go.
4. Shannon is getting to spend time in time out. She gets a redirection and what is meant to be a distraction and then if she can't handle it (fits are becoming a norm) she gets to spend some time in her pack 'n play for time out. She doesn't understand it, but at least we're trying. We even had to turn her chair around at Bob Evan's until she could be okay one Friday. It is scary to think what could be coming next!
5. Shannon says thank you. She mostly says it when she gives a kiss because she knows that we will say thank you to her. She is also saying hello. No more hi for her, she has to say it like she is answering the phone (she will talk on her phone and walk around with it at her ear...so cute).
6. Shannon is loving the piano and will sit and play it for quite a while.
7. Shannon is getting pickier about her eating. She will barely touch her meal at times and then sometimes she eats a ton. It just depends. I don't think she is anywhere near starving!
8. No matter what she is doing if Elmo's World comes on she has to stop, watch, and dance to the song at the beginning. She dances a lot and actually has decent rhythm.
Our poor, sick baby who won't stop playing no matter what!
We did spend a little bit of time trying it out and reading. This may have to become a bedtime routine...
It is nice that our extended family is growing and having babies around is so much fun! 
No, really, we had a great time visiting and the little rake was just Shannon's size. She had so much fun being a big girl, raking, hanging out with Grandma, throwing leaves, pointing out all of the geese in the park, and helping to pick up leaves and put them into the barrel.
